The present invention relates generally to entertainment devices. Stated more particularly, this patent disclose and protects a bath toy with a thermally erasable drawing surface for enabling a person, such a child, to write or draw thereon repeatedly in a wet environment.
It will be readily appreciated that toys specifically designed for a person""s use while bathing are well known in the art. Advantageously, such toys can make bathing, which tends to be an activity highly disfavored by many small children, substantially more interesting and pleasant for the child and for the child""s caretaker. Since most children enjoy drawing and writing, a toy enabling children to do so conveniently and practically while taking a bath certainly would be useful.
Unfortunately, it appears that no bath toy has been disclosed that would permit a child to draw or write on the bath toy conveniently, practically, and repeatedly while in a bathtub or other wet environment. One can surmise that this state of the art is attributable to the fact that conventional writing media, such as ink, paint, or wax crayons, typically do not function well in a wet environment. Furthermore, one will recognize that conventional writing surfaces, such as paper, tend to become wet in a bathing environment whereupon they become substantially incapable of accepting ink, crayon, paint, or the like.
In light of this state of the art as summarized above, it will be apparent that there is a cognizable need for a bath toy that would enable a person, such as a child, to write or draw on a surface of the toy even when the bath toy is wet It is equally clear that there is a need for such a bath toy that would be able to be written or drawn on repeatedly without requiring the repair or replacement of the drawing surface or any other element of the toy.
Advantageously, the present invention sets forth with the broadly stated object of meeting the needs left by the prior art while providing a number of heretofore unrealized advantages thereover.
Stated more particularly, the invention is founded on the principle object of providing a bath toy that enables a child or other person to write or draw on one of its surfaces in a wet environment.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a bath toy with such a drawing surface that can be written and drawn on and then erased without damage thereto.
An underlying object of the invention is to provide a bath toy with a drawing surface that can be used repeatedly without repair or replacement of the drawing surface or any other element of the bath toy.
Undoubtedly, these and further objects and advantages of the instant invention will be obvious both to one who reviews the present disclosure and to one who has an opportunity to make use of an embodiment of the present invention for a bath toy.
In accomplishing these objects, a most basic embodiment of the present invention for a bath toy comprises a drawing desk with a drawing surface disposed thereon and a thermochromic material disposed over at least a portion of the drawing surface. When the thermochromic material is caused to enter its active temperature range, it will demonstrate a change in color at least from a first color to a second color. The active temperature range can be calibrated to be colder than typical room temperature. With this, the thermochromic material can be induced to change color from a first color to a second color by application of a chilled object to the drawing surface. Furthermore, the thermochromic material can be induced to change back to the first color by a warming of the thermochromic material. The drawing desk may include a means for enabling it to float atop a volume of water. This means may comprise a volume of buoyant material incorporated into the drawing desk. Alternatively, the means may comprise a watertight open inner volume within the drawing desk.
A temperature-operated drawing implement with a temperature applicator of heat transmissible material may be used for selectively inducing the thermochromic material to enter its active temperature range. The drawing implement may have a handle portion that retains a body portion of the temperature applicator. A volume of insulative material may surround the body portion of the temperature applicator for enabling the temperature applicator to maintain a given temperature condition. The temperature applicator can have a body portion that includes an elongate shaft that will function as a skeleton structure for the volume of insulative material. In such embodiments, an enlarged weight portion can be disposed adjacent to the proximal end of the elongate shaft such that the tip of the temperature applicator will tend to project from a volume of water in which the drawing implement floats.
Still more advantageously, the drawing implement could have an open inner volume for retaining a volume of heat transmissible material, such as water, so that, when the heat transmissible material is induced into a given temperature condition, the temperature applicator can be maintained at a desired temperature for an extended periods of time. The open inner volume can be watertight, and the elongate shaft can be disposed within the volume of heat transmissible material. Alternatively, the heat transmissible material can be retained within a hollow shelled sheath that can be removably engaged with the temperature applicator whereby a user can chill or heat a sheath of heat transmissible material prior to being engaged with the temperature applicator.
Still further, the open inner volume can be selectively sealed by a closure device such as an end cap whereby the open inner volume can be selectively filled with and evacuated of heat transmissible material. The heat transmissible material could comprise ice water, ice cubes, or a specially formed ice insert that corresponds in size and shape to the size and shape of the open inner volume. Ice inserts can be formed in a mold and then inserted into the open inner volume as necessary to maintain the temperature applicator in a given temperature condition. Where the open inner volume can be selectively filled with heat transmissible material, such as water, a collapsible member on an inner surface of the end cap can be included to prevent an overfilling of the open inner volume to prevent damage to the drawing implement upon freezing.
The handle portion of the drawing implement can be conical with a narrow end adjacent to the distal end of the handle portion and a wide end adjacent to the proximal end of the handle portion. In such a case, the temperature applicator can have a body portion that is conical with a narrow end adjacent to the distal end of the handle portion and a proximal end at a mid-portion of the handle portion. Also, the open inner volume can be frusta-conical with a distal end adjacent to the proximal end of the temperature applicator and a proximal end adjacent to the proximal end of the handle portion. With this, the end cap can be removed from the proximal end of the handle portion to allow heat transmissible material to be inserted into and removed from the frusta-conical open inner volume.
When a user desires to erase drawing figures that have been created on the drawing surface, he or she need only induce the thermochromic material to leave its active temperature range and enter its inactive temperature range. Where the thermochromic material is calibrated to have an active temperature range that is below room temperature such that the thermochromic material must be chilled to induce a color change, the user need only warm the thermochromic material to erase the drawing figures. Of course, this could be done in a number of ways. For example, where the drawing desk floats atop a surface of warm bath water, the user need only temporarily submerge the floating structure by pushing downwardly thereon. With this, the warm bath water will wash over the drawing surface and warm the thermochromic material to its inactive temperature range whereby the drawing surface will appear blank and ready to be used again. Alternatively, the user might employ a spray erasing device to spray warm liquid onto the drawing surface. Most advantageously, the spray erasing device could be a hand-operated pump that draws warm bath water from the bath tub through an inlet tube to be sprayed onto the drawing surface. With such a device, the user could choose to erase the entire drawing surface or to erase only certain drawing figures.
Of course, one should remain mindful that the foregoing discussion is designed merely to outline broadly the more important features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor""s contribution to the art. Before an embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made dear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of possible manifestations of the broader invention revealed herein.